


Courting on the Court

by Lunarium



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Basketball, Chocolate, Crushes, Cute, F/F, F/M, High School, Humor, M/M, School Dances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-24 01:25:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17694947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunarium/pseuds/Lunarium
Summary: Ezor plans on asking fellow teammate Zethrid out on the Valentine Ball, but wait: why is she carrying a photo of Takashi Shirogane?!





	Courting on the Court

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SaraJaye](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/gifts).



> Dear Chocolate Box recipient: I hear you like High School AUs! ♥️ This was so much fun to write!

Their patience were wearing thin. The twins Zora and Roza were only too happy to present their box of chocolate confectionary, hoping to rid themselves of the goods for their art club’s fundraiser, but Ezor just couldn’t decide on what to buy. 

Roza sighed in resignation. “We know, _we know_ , no one likes the marshmallows. Mr. Nerok forgot most Galra are allergic to Kaltenecker gelatin, but by the time shipment came in, it was too late to send three dozen cases back.” 

“Oh, it isn’t that!” Ezor laughed. “I’m not sure if Zethrid likes either flavor.” 

Zora cocked one eyebrow. “Not even dark chocolate? Who doesn’t like one hundred percent, no-sugar-added, finest dark confections?” 

It took all of Ezor’s willpower not to grimace at the words. “Well, I’m almost late for class! Thank you for your time!” 

Grabbing her books, she left as fast as she could, only to crash right into Acxa. Arms folded, the taller girl studied her with an unimpressed expression. 

“What were you doing during lunch break, Ezor?” she said. Now together, Acxa started towards their next class and Ezor followed. Acxa’s presence alone parted a path for them in the crowded hall. Galra tiny and large wouldn’t dare to mess with Acxa Avokan. “You were supposed to meet us for practice this morning, _and_ we had another meeting during lunch. Are you serious for the game at all?” 

Ezor groaned as she fell into step beside her friend. “Of course I am! I just have a lot on my mind!” 

“Zethrid takes that much space in your mind?” 

Ezor gasped. 

“You know what I mean!” 

“Yes…”

Ezor studied her feet, knowing that she wouldn’t bump into someone with Acxa parting the ways to class. 

The annual Basketball Charity Drive was in two days. All of the schools in the district would gather around the city’s largest basketball court once a year for a large drive. The teams would all compete with one another, and the money earned would go to the school district. The next day was always the Valentine Ball, a little treat for the students after a work well done. 

This city had seven high schools. One of the smaller school districts compared to the rest of the country, but they’ve managed well over the years. But what was a sports game without a little competition? And that’s what their captain, Lotor, had been going on about ever since they returned from winter break. 

“You know we can’t have the Altean Lions win,” Acxa said as they neared Ms. Twyla’s Galran History class, “or Lotor will lose his head.” 

She strolled in and settled herself smoothly as if the queen—or the commander of a fleet—had just walked in. Ezor disappeared and then reappeared in a seat beside her, hiding behind a large student. Not that they were late, but getting a detention because one had landed on Ms. Twyla’s bad side on a Wednesday afternoon was never a fun time. 

As Ms. Twyla settled into the lesson, Ezor leaned towards the subject of her affection. Zethrid and her were like two peas in a pod. They both loved to play dirty. Zethrid played center and Ezor, small forward, but they bounced off one another in harmony. Their last game against the Rygnirath Yuppers sent them yelping, not yupping, and many a time they left the Nalquod Mermarines like fishes flopping on land—

(We’ll just ignore their defeats against the Altean Lions. She didn’t want to be reminded of their stupid battle cry and how Lotor kept grilling at them to think of something better than “Hurrah! Galra!”) 

—Anyhow, with the way they’ve defeated every team in the district, Zethrid and Ezor were simply meant to be. 

But wait—what was Zethrid holding? 

Ezor narrowed her eyes, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible with Ms. Twyla roaming past the desk aisles— _Why was she one of the roaming type of teachers? Didn’t she realize some of her students had tails and she could very easily trip on them? Argh!_ —but whatever, Ezor was only getting panicky. There had to be a perfectly good reason why Zethrid had a photo of the Altean Lions’s center, Takashi Shirogane. 

There had to be a perfectly good reason why a sharp nail traced across the photo, right? Zethrid couldn’t possibly be attracted to Takashi Shirogane, right?

“Ezor, are you paying attention?” 

Lotor’s voice sent her flying out of her seat five feet in the air. Their last afternoon together as a team before the big game tomorrow, and all she could think about is why, why, _why_ Zethrid carried a photo of Takashi Shirogane in her pocket. It hung over her all day like a thick stormy cloud since Ms. Twyla’s class. 

After apologizing profusely to Lotor, and Coach Dayak who watched her like a hawk, Ezor flopped back down and sighed heavily. “Practice, practice, practice! We’re not gonna leave here until it’s past dinnertime! All of the good shows on Zoonami will be over by then! _And_ we have so much homework due tomorrow! I’ll barely have time to hit the store on the way back home to get something for Zethrid, to convince her _we’re_ meant to be together.” 

Narti glanced towards her, as if Ezor’s own thoughts blared out through a megaphone. 

“Now, where _is_ that Throk?” Lotor demanded. “He keeps missing practice too! We have to go over how to best defend against the Yuppers. And the Garrison Galactics aren’t an easy match! If you’ve been keeping an eye on their TruTube station they’ve learned some new skill, especially after getting that Veronica on their team.” 

“I saw him sneak off with Sniv,” Acxa reported matter-of-factly as she leaned to study the photo of the Galactics’s new member. “Hmm, nice.” 

Lotor’s head nearly blew. “ _He’s seriously not getting high the night before the game? We need. Every. Single. Member. Involved at every stage of the planning tonight!_ ”

“Hey, don’t shoot the messenger!” Zethrid jumped into the defense, one clawed hand on Acxa’s shoulder, who didn’t seem fazed at all by Lotor’s reaction. Even Coach Dayak had enough and needed to walk away, ranting under her breath about not having retired yet when she had the chance. Ezor frowned: this basketball game was for the families to enjoy and give as much money as they could to fund the entire district; it had nothing to do with who won in the end. 

Beside, the more important thing was getting Zethrid to go with her to the Valentine Ball. 

“And I’m sure you’d like to know what your mother’s been up to with the Oriande Acolytes,” Acxa mentioned casually, without even a crack on her face. It only served to set Lotor off further; it was a silent rule to never mention the private school his mother ran. 

“You!” Lotor pointed at Narti. “I thought you were keeping an eye on Throk!” 

Narti hissed sadly, her tail swishing about in Throk’s empty spot. Although she didn’t have eyes, her cat Kova, who sat on her shoulders, helped her to perceive the world, and when Ezor glanced towards them, she thought an understanding passed between them. 

Just two teens wallowing in unrequited crushes.

*

Tomorrow. Ezor knew better than to delay getting Zethrid those box of chocolates, but she was positively exhausted after practice, and she had over fifty pages to read for Galran Mythology class—Ugh, _The Flask of Kaltor_. A total snoozefest! If it wasn’t for Miss Dorma Ezor would just sleep!—and trigonometry for Mr. Quark, and Galran history and—

Zethrid’s gift will have to wait for tomorrow morning. Yeah. Before Ezor went to school, she’ll run down and buy Zethrid the biggest most beautiful heart-shaped box of chocolates from the nearest grocery store and give it to her before the game, and then she’ll realize she and Ezor were meant to be! 

The plan was flawless! Ezor could only hope not everything, especially the good stuff, was bought off shelves during that time. 

Yet she couldn’t sleep. She kept thinking that, in this moment, Zethrid had a photo of Takashi Shirogane from Altea High School. As the night wore on, her fears trickled into mad fantasies until she found her feet dragging her in the opposite direction that very morning. She waved nervously to her father before masking herself in transparency, making way for the bus heading towards Altea High. 

The school was a total jungle. Not orderly like the way Principal Zarkon conducts Daibazaal High. Students could mingle outside of the cafeteria, in the halls, _outside_ , run around, and actually be free without a hall pass. It set Ezor’s skin crawling. 

The cafeteria was an even wilder zoo. The din so loud from the dozens upon hundreds of conversations happening at once that she had to shut her hands over her ears and hope no one crashed into her. 

“But, _whhhhy?_ ”

She drew herself towards the whine, recognizing that voice everywhere. Allura, daughter of Altea High’s principal and only the most popular girl _ever_ , was nearly strangling a fellow teammate—Lance, Ezor recalled the name. 

“Why!” Allura screamed again. “Buy me something sparkly! You promised!” With one arm still coiled around him with a vice-like grip, the other arm waved wildly, nearly smacking Ezor in the face. She turned towards where Allura was motioning. A concession stand was open, displaying flowers and other little trinkets for Valentine’s Day. “BUY ME SOMETHING SPARKLY!” 

Ezor’s eyebrows knitted in confusion. But Allura and Shiro…normally didn’t the alpha male and female of a team get together? Why was Allura all over this dweeb? 

“I told you, I don’t have any money!” Lance yelled back, growing more exasperated by the second. He searched for any help from his other two teammates—Hunk and Pidge; like Ezor was ever going to forget their faces after the last match—but they just shrugged, grinning like Cheshire Cats and resumed speaking amongst themselves. Two peas in a pod; ugh, Ezor could just clobber them, they were so disgustingly _together_. 

“ _BUT THEY HAVE THE GLITTERY CARNATIONS THIS YEAR!_ ” 

“Allura, I don’t have money!” 

“But you said—”

“I spent the last of my cash on Quiznakles, okay?” 

“You did _what_? For breakfast? _On the day of the big game?!_ ” 

Ezor had heard enough. And besides, she had just caught sight of her love rival. Takashi Shirogane had approached the concession stand, looked over his shoulder, then made a purchase. Her stomach dropped. 

Maybe there _was_ something going on between him and Zethrid. Maybe she should tell Lotor about it? 

_No, you don’t know if they’re, like, talking or texting after school! Maybe they’ll try to get together during the game! No—wait, don’t think about them texting after school..._

*

“Shiro.”

Shiro gasped loudly and pounded his locker shut, spinning around and pressing his whole body against it. “Hey, Keith!” 

Keith’s eyebrows shot up. “Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah!” Shiro laughed. “Ready for the game? Allura was ready to kill Lance earlier. I think she’s planning on another practice during lunch and another one right before we head out, if that’s okay with you. We can speak with Coach Coran.” 

Keith gave a roll of one shoulder. “Fine with me. Whatever you think is best.” 

He gave Shiro a warm smile just as the bell rang. 

“See you soon, Shiro.” 

Shiro placed his hand on his heart after Keith left. Cute. Keith was just so cute! How could he bear his heart to him without short-circuiting? 

He had so many fantasies of how this would play out. They would be in the middle of the game, and right after a three-pointer, he’d just get on his knee, take Keith’s hand, and ask him out, ask Keith to go to the Valentine Ball with him, and afterwards, be his boyfriend. And the crowd would double-cheer for the score and for the proposal, and Keith’s beautiful eyes would light up, his face a glow under the auditorium lights overhead. 

Or it was more likely that he would either fall on his face or freeze so badly that the game would pass, and no proposal would come, and all of the gifts Shiro had stashed for him, including the love letter, would just dwindle and dry up. 

_Unless if you want to go to the Valentine Ball with no one at all, or have Allura ask him for you_ , he reminded himself. 

Gathering his wits, he collected his books and made for the first class of the day.

*

After just managing to crawl her way out of the Altean jungle, Ezor barely made it back to Daibazaal High in time for class. Just as she stepped in her first class she remembered she had wanted to buy the chocolates for Zethrid. Groaning, she nearly face-planted on the desk.

So much for being a warrior in the game of love. 

A hiss came behind her and a box landed on her desk. The tail slithered away, revealing a heart-shaped chocolate box with a picture of juniberry-filled chocolate bon-bons. Only the very finest chocolates in all of the world! Ezor glanced back, her face beaming into a grin. 

“Thanks, Narti! I owe you one!” 

Throk leaned over his desk, his eyes nearly popping out his socket. 

“Hey! Wasn’t that meant for me, Narti? That’d totally go well with some of the new weed Sniv got!” 

Narti hissed irritably as Ezor stashed the box under her desk. “Buzz off, Throk! Or you want me telling the coach what you’re getting up to! Don’t think your dad wants to find out what you’ve been doing instead of practice!” 

Throk just shrugged and put on a grin as he leaned back in his seat. “I’d keep an eye on that box if I were you, Ezor.”

Ezor swallowed thickly, realizing the full meaning of his words. She couldn’t just hide it in her locker; she shared that same locker with Sniv in the first year so he knew the combination. Tucking it in her backpack could risk the box getting crushed or stolen while she’s not looking. But she couldn’t just have it out among her books or Zethrid might see and it’d ruin the surprise. 

She and Narti were going to have to work as a team to ensure this box of chocolates got to Zethrid safe and sound!

As if the craziness over the game tonight wasn’t bad enough, battling with Throk and Sniv class after class, and in the halls between each class, was just as bad, like they were in the longest and most grueling game of their lives. The boys were adamant to get their weed-fillers, and no amount of diplomatic bargaining could get them off her back— _“Nah, girlie,” Sniv said in the third period while Throk tried to bribe Kova with luncheon meat to get him the box, “all that’s left from Zora and Roza are the marshmallow kind!”_ —and no matter how many times Narti swung at them with her tail, sending them flying off the staircase, they always came crawling back, like a pair of zoned-out weed zombies— _“Drugs are bad, Narti! Promise you will never do it!” “Hssss!”_

The bastard even showed up to the end-of-school team meeting during lunch, hands wrapped over his knee as if he was a good little boy who folded his own laundry. 

At last, after what seemed like forever, the day ended. 

The purple school bus loomed ahead. All Ezor had to do was run inside, sit right in the front, and she’d be safe. They wouldn’t dare harass her under the eyes of Coach Dayak and Bus Driver Mar. 

“See you in a bit!” Ezor called out to Narti and made a mad dash to the bus, but no sooner had she crossed a meter that something tugged hard on her head tendril, and she went flying back with a little shriek. 

“All right, grab it!” 

“No!” She wrestled with the thief in vain. Left on the ground, she scrambled to her feet in time to watch the two boys abscond with her box, laughing hysterically. 

“Four hundred and twenty GAC!” Throk read the price label. “Meant to be! Blaze it, Sniv!” 

“I’m _so_ telling Coach Dayak!” Ezor screamed as a blur sped past her, Narti’s tail swishing behind her. But an even bigger blur appeared, slamming into the boys like an intergalactic train. Narti stopped and got on all fours, hissing, and even Ezor froze, watching the spectacle as Zethrid clobbered the boys until they scrambled like terrified space mice. 

_My hero!_ Ezor fawned, entwined hands against her chin before realizing that in the fight, the box had been damaged, and juneberry-filled chocolates now littered the ground. _Oh, no…_

“Hey, you alright?” Zethrid asked as she marched right up to her just like the muscular heroines in the romance novels Ezor had stacked under her bed. “Thought they could use a little persuasion to get them off ya.” 

She scooped Ezor into her big, strong arms and lifted her up, and Ezor felt she might faint, filled with Zethrid’s scent—well, _smell_ ; she must have been practicing hard for the game, but that only made her more sexy, and the muscles of her arms were so strong and taut around her hollow bones. Narti swished her tail in content approval. 

“Say, I wanted to ask ya…” Zethrid set her down and rummaged through her satchel, producing a bouquet of violet and red carnations and a blood-red envelope. Ezor gave a gasp. “Want to go with the dance with me?” 

“I—of course!” Ezor answered breathlessly. If Narti could scream, she would have. Her tail fluttered madly behind her, nearly upsetting Kova off her shoulders; if Ezor had to guess her thoughts, they would have been, _“OMG, my OTP just became canon!”_

Zethrid grinned, and Ezor had the impression she must have been holding back the question. What? Zethrid, _shy_? 

“But I don’t get it!” Ezor added. “I thought you—Shirogane—?”

“Huh?” 

Ezor explained. 

“Oh, that!” Zethrid laughed as she produced the photo. “I’ve been psyching myself all week to give him a good clobbering during the game!” 

_OH!_ Of course. Zethrid would never fall for a goody two-shoe like Takashi Shirogane. She’d only want to punch him bloody after that foul play he never got a penalty on in the last game. Sure she gave him a pretty bad punch in the face last time that required stitches; he still had a bandaid over his face when Ezor had snuck into the school this morning, but that was beside the point. 

Grinning mischievously, Ezor punched one fist in her other hand. “Let’s clobber him together!” 

“That’s my girl!”

*

The Valentine Ball was underway, and it was as enjoyable as the game had been. While the Altean Lions had won—their fans’ chants of “Go Voltron Force!” as annoying and earworm-worthy as ever—it didn’t come without a cost. Zethrid cobbled Shiro all right. She cobbled him _good_. And Ezor was all too happy to send him flying with a kick of her tendril. He flew back and struck Keith in the right cheek with his elbow; the small forward needed stitches after that.

But Keith was now dancing with Shiro and had a bandage to match his; the two were together now. Shiro had cradled him in his arms after the incident, as if he was somehow to blame for Keith bleeding out on the court—well, it was _his_ elbow that nearly split Keith’s face in half. But that display he put on! He wept as if Keith was dying on the basketball court. So dramatic. Kinda romantic, actually. And after the nurse patched him up, Shiro just up and asked him out on the ball, and Keith’s face softened as if the pain left him. 

It was the sweetest thing _ever_ ; even Ezor had cheered them on while riding over Zethrid’s shoulders.

Totally worth getting a flagrant foul over. 

Never mind that Throk was suspended from playing any more games after Zethrid let slip what he’s been up to. Even if he was just their benchwarmer, with one member down, the team was all but hopeless in ever winning the game.

Like Ezor cared. She got the biggest (literally) and _bestest_ prize of all. She danced around all the other couples, grinning triumphantly at Throk and Sniv who were stuck on punch duty under the careful eye of Coach Dayak, and she didn’t mind if she got a face full of Princess Allura’s hair as she twirled by, lost in a universe of her own with Lance. Keith and Shiro were also lost in their own world, and didn’t seem to mind that Ezor and Zethrid had marked up their faces. They’d have matching scars to remind them of the friendly rivalry. When Ezor and Zethrid came towards them, they all bowed politely and complimented one another on their dresses and suits. Enemies on the court, friends on the ballroom. This was nice.

“All things considered, I’d say things have been a success,” Acxa said in her monotone voice. She stood against the wall, arms folded and watched the dancers with mild interest. Next to her, Veronica from the Garrison Academy laughed. 

“Yeah, everyone’s behaving themselves after that display yesterday,” she said. 

“Hmm, haven’t spotted Lotor yet,” Acxa said. “Either he’s still stabbing basketballs in the locker room or never wants to show himself again after Allura turned him down in the court and then asked Lance out in front of everyone the way she did. There is nothing that girl doesn’t do without the utmost display of theatrics.”

“I love her,” Veronica said. “My little brother’s face when she asked him out was priceless! Still, that must have been _so_ embarrassing for Lotor, getting _yeeted_ to the bleachers.” 

“You have no idea.” 

“I didn’t think anyone had that kind of strength, even if Allura was caught off guard!” Laughing again, Veronica turned towards her. “Speaking of…not to catch _you_ off guard or anything, but would you like to dance? With me?” 

Acxa shrugged but the first hint of a smile in the longest time appeared across her face. “That is a most agreeable offer.”

**Author's Note:**

> Names of classmates (Zora and Roza) and teachers borrowed from other iterations of Voltron.


End file.
